List of members of the virginia house of burgesses - What was the house of burgesses ?

The House of Virginia Burgesses is an important chapter in the political history of the United States for various reasons. The primary reason is that it was a legislative body like no other the contemporary world had ever seen, even though it was based on the British administrative model.More...

Before going into the list of members of the Virginia House of Burgesses, let us first see what the House of Burgesses is all about. The word, burgess, actually means freeman of a burgh or a borough. Later on it started to mean an appointed or elected official of a municipality or a borough’s representative in none other than the English House of Commons. For a list containing all the members of the House of Burgesses, you can look up the internet. In this article, you shall get an overview of some of the important members.More...

The House of Burgesses is an important topic in the history of Virginia and also in the political history of the US. The term, burgess originates from the word, borough which means a division of administration in several countries. The Virginia Company put an end to the monopoly of the ownership of land, based on their belief that colonists would show more initiative if they could have land ownership. Due to this, the English Common Law was adopted in the Virginia colony.

Now, in the year 1619, the changes implemented in the political scene of Virginia paved way to the need for setting up a legislative body that was to be determined by the colonists. This body then came to be called the House of Burgesses, quite in the lines of the British Parliament. The members of this House of Burgesses would meet once every year in Jamestown.More...

The House of Burgesses is an important and much discussed chapter in the history of American politics. It is the first legislative body of its kind to have been established on the land of America, to be in the lines of the British administrative body. In fact, the term, burgess is derived from the word burgh or borough which means administrative divisions in several nations. These nations, of course include the Great Britain.

The House of Burgesses was formed and had their first session a year before the Mayflower Compact took shape. Mayflower Compact is another important subject in the political history of the United States that is said to serve as the foundation of the American Constitution itself. The first ever session organized by the Members of the Virginia House of Burgesses was in 30th July 1619 in Jamestown.More...